2G-Adversaries: China (1996-2001)

Just prior to my military service, China's military seemed to be primarily geared for deterrence and defense, and there was no interaction of any consequence with US forces. This began to change early in the 1990s, when China began transitioning its naval mission from coastal defense to a "blue water" force capable of power projection to the islands in the South China Sea. This became evident when Peoples' Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) aircraft began intercepting US Navy intelligence gathering aircraft operating near Chinese territory or ships. Though the PLAAF had a rather antiquated interceptor force, they became very aggressive. In 2001, an aggressive intercept resulted in a mid-air collision near Hainan Island. This collection consists of PLA weapons that engaged with US forces during my time in service.
- J-6C Farmer-D (PLAAF)
- J-8II Finback-B (PLAAF)
- Type 091 Submarine (PLAN)